200+ Quotes & Sayings By Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is probably the most brilliant man in American history. He was a writer, philosopher, inventor, statesman, and the third President of the United States. He is known as the author of the Declaration of Independence and the principal author of the U.S. Constitution, which he drafted during his stint as ambassador to France Read more

He also helped draft the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which remains the basis for that state's religious liberty laws today.

1
I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give. Thomas Jefferson
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous...
2
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty. Thomas Jefferson
Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion...
3
Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing. Thomas Jefferson
4
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. Thomas Jefferson
There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of...
5
There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people. Thomas Jefferson
All should be laid open to you without reserve, for...
6
All should be laid open to you without reserve, for there is not a truth existing which I fear, or would wish unknown to the whole world. Thomas Jefferson
I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing...
7
I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led. Thomas Jefferson
8
It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself. Thomas Jefferson
And for the support of this declaration, with a firm...
9
And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. Thomas Jefferson
Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.
10
Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom. Thomas Jefferson
11
May it [American independence] be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all, ) the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately.. These are grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.] . Thomas Jefferson
12
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. Thomas Jefferson
13
Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of .. . but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Thomas Jefferson
Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask....
14
Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. Thomas Jefferson
I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers...
15
I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another. Thomas Jefferson
I am satisfied, and sufficiently occupied with the things which...
16
I am satisfied, and sufficiently occupied with the things which are, without tormenting or troubling myself about those which may indeed be, but of which I have no evidence. Thomas Jefferson
I may grow rich by an art I am compelled...
17
I may grow rich by an art I am compelled to follow I may recover health by medicines I am compelled to take against my own judgment but I cannot be saved by a worship I disbelieve and abhor. Thomas Jefferson
They (religions) dread the advance of science as witches do...
18
They (religions) dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live. Thomas Jefferson
Neither Pagan nor Mahamedan nor Jew ought to be excluded...
19
Neither Pagan nor Mahamedan nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the Commonwealth because of his religion. -quoting John Locke's argument. Thomas Jefferson
A nation which expects to be ignorant and free, in...
20
A nation which expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, expects that which never was and never will be. Thomas Jefferson
The man who reads nothing at all is better educated...
21
The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers. Thomas Jefferson
22
I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves ; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power. Thomas Jefferson
23
If it is believed that these elementary schools will be better managed by the governor and council or any other general authority of the government, than by the parents within each ward, it is a belief against all experience. Thomas Jefferson
24
The probable accumulation of the surpluses of revenue beyond what can be applied to the payment of the public debt... merits the consideration of Congress. Shall it lie unproductive in the public vaults?... Or shall it rather be appropriated to the improvements of roads, canals, rivers, education, and other great foundations of prosperity and union Thomas Jefferson
25
I have indeed two great measures at heart, without which no republic can maintain itself in strength: 1. That of general education, to enable every man to judge for himself what will secure or endanger his freedom. 2. To divide every county into hundreds, of such size that all the children of each will be within reach of a central school in it Thomas Jefferson
Determine never to be idle. It is wonderful how much...
26
Determine never to be idle. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing. Thomas Jefferson
Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions...
27
Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics or geometry... Thomas Jefferson
28
May it [American independence] be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all, ) the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately.. These are grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to . Thomas Jefferson
While the art of printing is left to us science...
29
While the art of printing is left to us science can never be retrograde what is once acquired of real knowledge can never be lost. Thomas Jefferson
The more ignorant we become the less value we set...
30
The more ignorant we become the less value we set on science, and the less inclination we shall have to seek it. Thomas Jefferson
I cannot live without books.
31
I cannot live without books. Thomas Jefferson
32
The most fortunate of us, in our journey through life, frequently meet with calamities and misfortunes which may greatly afflict us; and, to fortify our minds against the attacks of these calamities and misfortunes should be one of the principal studies and endeavors of our lives. The only method of doing this is to assume a perfect resignation to the Divine will, to consider that whatever does happen, must happen; and that, by our uneasiness, we cannot prevent the blow before it does fall, but we may add to its force after it has fallen. These considerations, and others such as these, may enable us in some measure to surmount the difficulties thrown in our way; to bear up with a tolerable degree of patience under the burden of life; and to proceed with a pious and unshaken resignation, till we arrive at our journey's end. Thomas Jefferson
33
But friendship is precious, not only in the shade but in the sunshine of life; & thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. I will recur for proof to the days we have lately passed. On these indeed the sun shone brightly. Thomas Jefferson
Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations...entangling alliances with...
34
Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations...entangling alliances with none Thomas Jefferson
I find friendship to be like wine, raw when new,...
35
I find friendship to be like wine, raw when new, ripened with age, the true old man's milk and restorative cordial. Thomas Jefferson
Whatever enables us to go to war, secures our peace
36
Whatever enables us to go to war, secures our peace Thomas Jefferson
I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent...
37
I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in...
38
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. Thomas Jefferson
How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they...
39
How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy! Thomas Jefferson
Those who expect to be both ignorant and free, expect...
40
Those who expect to be both ignorant and free, expect what never was and never will be. Thomas Jefferson
We are not to expect to be translated from despotism...
41
We are not to expect to be translated from despotism to liberty in a featherbed. Thomas Jefferson
Our civil rights have no dependence upon our religious opinions...
42
Our civil rights have no dependence upon our religious opinions more than our opinions in physics or geometry. Thomas Jefferson
43
If a nation expects to be ignorant & free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was & never will be. The functionaries of every government have propensities to command at will the liberty & property of their constituents. There is no safe deposit for these but with the people themselves; nor can they be safe with them without information. Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe. . Thomas Jefferson
44
And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever. Thomas Jefferson
He [Weishaupt] says, no one ever laid a surer foundation...
45
He [Weishaupt] says, no one ever laid a surer foundation for liberty than our grand master, Jesus of Nazareth. Thomas Jefferson
46
I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale. Thomas Jefferson
We in America do not have government by the majority....
47
We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate. Thomas Jefferson
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too...
48
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. Thomas Jefferson
49
I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccesful rebellions indeed generally establish the incroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions, as not to discourage them too much. It is a medecine necessary for the sound health of government. . Thomas Jefferson
50
I am increasingly persuaded that the earth belongs exclusively to the living and that one generation has no more right to bind another to it's laws and judgments than one independent nation has the right to command another. Thomas Jefferson
I hold it that a little rebellion now and then...
51
I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Thomas Jefferson
...We are all Federalists, and we are all Republicans.
52
...We are all Federalists, and we are all Republicans. Thomas Jefferson
53
..never [enter] into dispute or argument with another. I never saw an instance of one of two disputants convincing the other by argument. I have seen many, on their getting warm, becoming rude, & shooting one another.. When I hear another express an opinion which is not mine, I say to myself, he has a right to his opinion, as I to mine; why should I question it? His error does me no injury, and shall I become a Don Quixote, to bring all men by force of argument to one opinion?. . There are two classes of disputants most frequently to be met with among us. The first is of young students, just entered the threshold of science, with a first view of its outlines, not yet filled up with the details & modifications which a further progress would bring to their knoledge. The other consists of the ill-tempered & rude men in society, who have taken up a passion for politics.. Consider yourself, when with them, as among the patients of Bedlam, needing medical more than moral counsel. Be a listener only, keep within yourself, and endeavor to establish with yourself the habit of silence, especially on politics. In the fevered state of our country, no good can ever result from any attempt to set one of these fiery zealots to rights, either in fact or principle. They are determined as to the facts they will believe, and the opinions on which they will act. Get by them, therefore, as you would by an angry bull; it is not for a man of sense to dispute the road with such an animal. Thomas Jefferson
The dead should not rule the living.
54
The dead should not rule the living. Thomas Jefferson
Politics, like religion, hold up the torches of martyrdom to...
55
Politics, like religion, hold up the torches of martyrdom to the reformers of error. Thomas Jefferson
The care of human life and happiness, and their destruction...
56
The care of human life and happiness, and their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of a good government. Thomas Jefferson
Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours...
57
Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor. Thomas Jefferson
58
I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all. Thomas Jefferson
59
History, in general, only informs us what bad government is. Thomas Jefferson
60
Let us save what remains: not by vaults and locks which fence them from the public eye and use in consigning them to the waste of time, but by such a multiplication of copies, as shall place them beyond the reach of accident. Thomas Jefferson
61
‎We must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude... If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy. Thomas Jefferson
62
History is philosophy teaching by examples. Thomas Jefferson
63
If you serve humanity, you serve humanity's God. Thomas Jefferson
64
No body wishes more than I do to see such proofs as you exhibit, that nature has given to our black brethren, talents equal to those of the other colors of men, and that the appearance of a want of them is owing merely to the degraded condition of their existence, both in Africa & America. Thomas Jefferson
65
Even in Europe a change has sensibly taken place in the mind of man. Science has liberated the ideas of those who read and reflect, and the American example has kindled feelings of right in the people. Thomas Jefferson
66
The executive power in our government is not the only, perhaps not even the principal, object of my solicitude. The tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come. The tyranny of the executive power will come in its turn, but at a more distant period. Thomas Jefferson
67
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.- Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson
68
I am certainly not an advocate for frequent and untried changes in laws and constitutions. I think moderate imperfections had better be borne with; because, when once known, we accommodate ourselves to them, and find practical means of correcting their ill effects. But I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors. Thomas Jefferson
69
Bigotry is the disease of ignorance, of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant. Education and free discussion are the antidotes of both. We are destined to be a barrier against the returns of ignorance and barbarism. Old Europe will have to lean on our shoulders, and to hobble along by our side, under the monkish trammels of priests and kings, as she can. What a Colossus shall we be when the Southern continent comes up to our mark! What a stand will it secure as a ralliance for the reason & freedom of the globe! I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. So good night. I will dream on, always fancying that Mrs Adams and yourself are by my side marking the progress and the obliquities of ages and countries. . Thomas Jefferson
70
All that is necessary for a student is access to a library. Thomas Jefferson
71
This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it. Thomas Jefferson
72
..it is not to be understood that I am with him [Jesus] in all his doctrines. I am a Materialist, he takes the side of spiritualism; he preaches the efficacy of repentance toward forgiveness of sin. I require a counterpoise of good works to redeem it.. Among the sayings & discourses imputed to him by his biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of the most lovely benevolence: and others again of so much ignorance, so much absurdity, so much untruth, charlatanism, and imposture, as to pronounce it impossible that such contradictions should have proceeded from the same. Thomas Jefferson
73
I find that the harder I work , the more luck I seem to have. Thomas Jefferson
74
To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others. Thomas Jefferson
75
I think one travels more usefully when they travel alone, because they reflect Thomas Jefferson
76
I haven't failed. I've just found 10, 000 ways that don't work. Thomas Jefferson
77
A Man's management of his own purse speaks volumes about character Thomas Jefferson
78
The poor who have neither property, friends, nor strength to labor are boarded in the houses of good farmers, to whom a stipulated sum is annually paid. To those who are able to help themselves a little or have friends from whom they derive some succor, inadequate however to their full maintenance, supplementary aids are given which enable them to live comfortably in their own houses or in the houses of their friends. Vagabonds without visible property or vocation, are placed in work houses, where they are well clothed, fed, lodged, and made to labor . Thomas Jefferson
79
The contest is not between Us and Them, but between Good and Evil, and if those who would fight Evil adopt the ways of Evil, Evil wins. Thomas Jefferson
80
Experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind; for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe, and to the general prey of the rich on the poor. Thomas Jefferson
81
When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, an hundred. Thomas Jefferson
82
What a stupendous, what an incomprehensible machine is man! Who can endure toil, famine, stripes, imprisonment and death itself in vindication of his own liberty, and the next moment .. . inflict on his fellow men a bondage, one hour of which is fraught with more misery than ages of that which he rose in rebellion to oppose. Thomas Jefferson
83
Everything is useful which contributes to fix in the principles and practices of virtue. Thomas Jefferson
84
Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Vir Thomas Jefferson
85
The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest. Thomas Jefferson
86
No people can be both ignorant and free. Thomas Jefferson
87
No people who are ignorant can be truly free. Thomas Jefferson
88
If we could believe that he [Jesus] really countenanced the follies, the falsehoods, and the charlatanism which his biographers [Gospels] father on him, and admit the misconstructions, interpolations, and theorizations of the fathers of the early, and the fanatics of the latter ages, the conclusion would be irresistible by every sound mind that he was an impostor.. We find in the writings of his biographers matter of two distinct descriptions. First, a groundwork of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstitions, fanaticisms and fabrications.. That sect [Jews] had presented for the object of their worship, a being of terrific character, cruel, vindictive, capricious and unjust.. Jesus had to walk on the perilous confines of reason and religion: and a step to right or left might place him within the gripe of the priests of the superstition, a blood thirsty race, as cruel and remorseless as the being whom they represented as the family God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, and the local God of Israel. They were constantly laying snares, too, to entangle him in the web of the law.. That Jesus did not mean to impose himself on mankind as the son of God, physically speaking, I have been convinced by the writings of men more learned than myself in that lore.[ Letter to William Short, 4 August, 1820]. Thomas Jefferson
89
The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.-- The Fruit Hunters Thomas Jefferson
90
The equal rights of man, and the happiness of every individual, are now acknowledged to be the only legitimate objects of government. Thomas Jefferson
91
If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions. Thomas Jefferson
92
The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground. Thomas Jefferson
93
I hope that we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country. Thomas Jefferson
94
To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. Thomas Jefferson
95
Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto. Thomas Jefferson
96
Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance, and from under the eye of their constituents, must, from the circumstance of distance, be unable to administer and overlook all the details necessary for the good government of the citizens; and the same circumstance, by rendering detection impossible to their constituents, will invite public agents to corruption, plunder and waste. Thomas Jefferson
97
It is reasonable that everyone who asks justice should do justice Thomas Jefferson
98
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, – That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.. Thomas Jefferson
99
I hope we shall ... crush in it’s birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength, and to bid defiance to the laws of their country. Thomas Jefferson
100
The opinions of men are not the object of civil government, nor under its jurisdiction. Thomas Jefferson